American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) attacks in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico: Presentation of five cases [Ataques de cocodrilo de río (crocodylus acutus) en puerto vallarta, jalisco, méxico: Presentación de cinco casos]

Abstract

Five cases of non-fatal crocodile attacks on people in the region of Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico (2007-2010) are presented. In four cases the victim suffered amputation of upper or lower extremity, but only in one case the victim resulted in bitten on the arm. With the documentation of these five cases, the number of attacks by American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) in the coast of the Mexican state of Jalisco for the past 52 years is between 30 and 31. The results show an increase in crocodile attacks from 0,57 to 0,59 per year. We describe the cases and suggest possible explanations for the crocodile's attacks